November 2013

The Shadow #19

/ / Comics

The Shadow #19Although I’m not the biggest fan of Andrea Mutti’s art in the issue, The Shadow #19 marks a good opportunity for those looking for a place to jump in on the title. The issue not only begins a new story arc involving the mysterious past of the man known to the world as Lamont Cranston but also reintroduces Margo Lane, The Shadow’s network of spies around New York City, and his ability to coerce information out of unwitting allies (such as the police commissioner) as The Shadow searches for a connection between the Russian mob and a series of kidnappings of young women from wealthy local families.

Putting both his network and the intimidation tactics of his alter-ego to good use, Cranston manages to locate and save every single victim but what he finds at the scene will force The Shadow to leave New York City and journey halfway around the world to understand what the box containing a severed finger wearing a ring very much like his own signifies. The issue sets up the larger mystery with a single-issue tale that works well all on its own. Worth a look.

[Dynamite Entertainment, $3.99]

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The Grandmaster

/ / Home Video
  • Title: The Grandmaster
  • IMDB: link

“A true martial artist does not live for, he simply lives.”
— Bruce Lee

The GrandmasterThe Grandmaster follows the life of Ip Man (Tony Leung Chiu Wai), who the film suggests may have been the greatest Chinese martial artist of his generation. From an early challenge from a Northern Chinese Grandmaster (Qingxiang Wang) through teaching in his own school in Hong Kong decades later to pass on his teaching to the next generation (including a young Bruce Lee), the script by director Kar Wai Wong and fellow screenwriters Jingzhi Zou and Haofeng Xu examines the major events and relationships of Ip Man’s life.

There are three different cuts of the film in existence. Sadly neither this Blu-ray nor DVD release include the original cut of the film released in Asia (which earned more critical acclaim than the versions made for U.S. audiences). As I haven’t seen the original cut I can’t compare the two, but I will note that some of the editing in this version, especially for the kind of philosophical and slow wide-sweeping tale the film strives to be, at times seems rushed and a bit muddled.

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Person of Interest – The Devil’s Share

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Person of Interest – The Devil’s Share
  • wiki: link

Person of Interest - The Devil's Share

Following the death of Carter (Taraji P. Henson) both Shaw (Sarah Shahi) and an injured Reese (Jim Caviezel) separately scour the city for any trace of Simmons (Robert John Burke). Unable to find or stop Reese, Finch (Michael Emerson) and Fusco (Kevin Chapman) convince Shaw to help them find Simmons first which begins with tracking down Quinn (Clarke Peters) who is being guarded by Federal Marshals and about to be indicted as the head of HR. But to accomplish this Finch will have to find a way to trust Root (Amy Acker).

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Red Sonja #5

/ / Comics

Red Sonja #5Writer Gail Simone’s opening arc continues as Red Sonja returns down the mountainside with her bodyguards Ayla and Nias to receive the rest of the cure for the plague slowly destroying her body and exact vengeance on her former friend Annisa for killing the king who freed them both from the pit while leaving his kingdom to die of plague.

Dealing mostly with Red Sonja returning from her exile and slowly regaining her strength and fire at witnessing the atrocities of a woman she once loved as a sister, Red Sonja #5 spends most of its time setting up next month’s final issue to the opening arc as the two warriors step into the arena to battle one more time.

The issue does end with a bit of a twist as both women come face-to-face with a common foe from their past suggesting that the epic final battle between the two warriors that the storyline has been leading to may not occur in the arc’s final issue (or perhaps at all if both don’t survive the attack of their former slave master). Worth a look.

[Dynamite Entertainment, $3.99]

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Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – Repairs

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – Repairs
  • wiki: link

“May used to be different.”

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Repairs

As Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) decide Skye (Chloe Bennet) missed out on the proper rights of hazing and pranks by not going through S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s academy, Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen) talk with a woman blamed for a series of accidents in a small town which appear to have been triggered by telekentic powers. However, Hanna (Laura Seay) refuses to accept responsibility for the odd occurrences believing she is being haunted which is actually far closer to the truth as one of her co-workers (Robert Baker), caught in the explosion that trapped him between dimensions, has been stalking her both before and after the accident he is responsible for.

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